Would it change anything?
by CoccinelleMenthol
Summary: What happens when people start to find out that Maddie might not be Teddy's daughter? Is it going to bring back some old memories? I'm not that good at summary but I'm planning on writing a long story about how the news of Maddie being Deacon's daughter are going to impact the relationships between all the characters, and especially Rayna, Deacon and Maddie.
1. Some things are better left unsaid

**Hello everyone! I saw how empty the Nashville category was and decided to help filling it. So here comes one story which I hope will have many chapters, but it mainly depends on how you react to it, so don't hesitate to comment. For now I'm thinking of ultimately bringing Deacon and Rayna closer because let's face it: they are one damn good otp, but I'm open to any suggestions you may have.**

Rayna was helping her older daughter, Maddie, with her homework when the door bell rang. She looked at her daughter with a contrite face, sorry that every time she would try to help her there would be something coming in the way. But Maddie wasn't really holding her mother responsible for it, perfectly capable of doing her homework by herself. She was just trying to spend some quality time with her when possible. If it wasn't possible, so be it.

Her mother let go of a sigh before going to answer the door. When she opened it though, she regretted not having pretended not to be there. Standing in front of her was that paternal figure she had always hated. Lamar would always be so manipulative and she couldn't stand it. Not once had he played the role of the loving and supporting father. And there was no reason for this time to be any different.

She sighed angrily and tried to close the door on him but he had the reflexe to put his foot in, and she couldn't resist long to the force he was applying on the door. She had no choice but to let him in. So he did, and not without a smug grin on his face.

"Come on, Rayna. That's no way to welcome your father."

She didn't even try to respond to that, knowing really well that nothing wise would come out of her mouth. She just snorted and it didn't go unnoticed. He pretended to be hurt by her reaction but she could see behind the mask. If he really cared about what she was thinking of him, he would act in a more considerate way towards her. He had given up on her a long time ago and she was well aware of that.

Rayna could see that this wasn't going to be a pleasant visit, after all his never were, so she decided to shorten it as much as possible.

"What are you doing here? What do you want from me?"  
"Can't a loving father give his lovely daughter a surprised visit without any ulterior motives?"  
"That would almost have worked... except that I know you, dad. You always have ulterior motives. Just cut to the chase and tell me what they are. That way we can both go back to things that we actually like, like helping my daughter with her homework for me, and planning how you are going to rule Nashville for you."  
"I didn't know you were that cynical, but well... If that's what you want, I'll cut to the chase. I want you to drop that idea of a private tour with Deacon."

Raina's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Her father really was unbelievable. He had always tried to control her life but lately it had reached a whole new level. He was really looking to put an end to her career and it was beginning to irritate her even more than it already had in the past.

"And who do you think you are to ask me that? I do whatever I want with my career. If I want to go on that tour, I'll go. You don't have any say in the matter."  
"Actually I do. I'm going to help your husband win that election and for that I need you not to go on the road, and especially not with that man."  
"Well, I'm a grown-up and I think that this is something I should discuss with Teddy and not with you. You'd better go."  
"Oh, I won't go. Because Teddy doesn't know half the things I know and you'd be able to get away with it. But what if, for example, he knew who the real father of Maddie is? Do you think-"

But he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as his daughter's hand ended up on his cheek with a surprising force. He hadn't seen that slap coming and he hadn't anticipated the violent push with which she threw him out either. He ended up on the porch, in front of a locked door with nothing better to do than to head back to his office. It might not have been pretty but at least he knew he had been heard.

On the other side of the door, Rayna was far less satisfied with what had just happened than her father. He had been bringing up the paternity of Maddie quite a lot lately and it was beginning to scare her. This was a secret she didn't want anyone to stir. But she couldn't see him divulging it though. It was not in his best interest and Lamar wasn't doing anything unless it was in his best interest. If he was to tell Teddy, they wouldn't be able to hold the image of a perfect couple in front of the electors anymore and this election would be a total failure. So logically there was no reason to worry.

But still, this visit had gone even worse that she had expected it to go and she could find nothing better to do than just slide against the door and bury her head in her knees. Tears were starting to form a continuous flow on her cheeks when she heard the small shivering voice of her daughter.

"Mom?"

Rayna raised her eyes in horror. She could see to the wet eyes of her daughter that she had heard everything her grandfather had said, or at least the end of it. The part that Rayna would never have wanted her daughter to find out. And now she was in the impossible situation she had never wanted to think about and she had nothing to say.

"Mom? Is it true?"

The tears on the country singer's cheeks were now big rivers she couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard she tried for her daughter. She shouldn't have been crying. She should have been strong and able to talk to her daughter. She should have acted as an adult and not as a little girl trapped in her own lies.

"Mom? Who is my father?"

The shaky voice and the eyes full of tears of Maddie finally set off something in Rayna, who stood up and wiped away her tears. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and held on tightly. "You shouldn't listen to what your papa is saying. You know he is always saying lots of mean things."

Maddie quickly pulled away from the embrace, so as to face her mother. "But it doesn't mean that it isn't true and after the way you reacted you can't say that it isn't. Mum, who is my father?"

"Your father is the man that raised you, and he always will be."  
"But what about my biological father?"  
"There are things about the past that shouldn't be stirred."  
"Does he even know that I'm his daughter?"

Rayna slowly shook her head. She had always felt a little guilty about not telling him she was having his daughter. She had been afraid of what would happen if she had and she had chosen the easiest way. Or at least what appeared to be the easiest way at the time.

"It's uncle Deacon, isn't it?"

The tears threatened to come back and that's all it took for Maddie to get her answer. She couldn't face it just yet though, so she ran to her room and slammed the door behind her, before burying herself under the blankets, hoping that this whole day was just a nightmare that was going to come to an end. When she would come out from under the blankets everything would be back in order and she would be the daughter of the man she had always thought was her father.

**So, what did you think? I know there is still no Deacon in it but I felt that I needed to do this before introducing him.**


	2. Who wants to play the guitar?

**I'm really glad you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope I won't disappoint you. This chapter isn't really one of the best things I've ever written but I can promise that the next one will be better! And I would be really happy if you tell me what you think of the story so far. Enjoy your reading!**

Rayna loved her husband, or at least that's what she was trying to convince herself of before climbing on stage. She was about to perform for that whole Country Club crowd she hated so much and it was all for him. If it hadn't been for Teddy, she would already have run off to some other place where she could have felt much more comfortable.

Because comfortable was definitely something she could not have been feeling there. It wasn't that she was anxious about performing, she had literally done it a thousand times before and she had an absolute confidence in her songs and her band. It was just that she would be standing on the stage, singing with Deacon, in front of all these persons who used to judge her in high school, in front of her father, and in front of Teddy, and she wasn't sure it was such a good idea.

She still had the burning memory of that night at the Blue Bird when suddenly all her feelings towards Deacon -feelings that she had believed were long dead- came back to the surface. Suddenly they were these two 20-year-old dreamers again and they were deeply in love with each other. When he had locked eyes with her, she had been nothing but a quivering mass of feelings. When he had grabbed her hand, that mass of feelings had started to explode and jolts of electricity had been running throughout her whole body. And then she had been forced to come down from her dream and realize that she shouldn't have been feeling this way, and the only thing she was able to do was run away.

Now she was going to sing again with him, not in that same intimate way obviously, but still. She was afraid that one wrong expression or gesture could be her undoing. Since that night all she could do was think about him, and certainly not in a way she would want anyone to discover.

And the fact that Maddie had her angry eyes fixated on her wasn't helping at all. She still had no idea of how to make things better with her daughter. She had tried many things yet, but the anger wouldn't leave the little girl and it was beginning to show. This whole situation was about to explode and Rayna couldn't seem to find a way to defuse it.

But she loved her husband, and she was going to get on that stage and win him some electors. She closed her eyes, took one deep breath and climbed on the stage, immediately getting in the role of the famous and confident country singer people thought she really was. And at that moment she was. Every time she was on stage, her personal life would fade away and she would just enjoy the moment, singing in rhythm with the music.

After a few songs they got a room full of applause and Teddy came on stage to hug her. Apparently she had managed to keep it professional and it made her confident again that she could still do that tour with Deacon without falling in his arms again, because lately she had seriously been doubting.

Teddy turned towards where their daughters were in the room and took the mike.  
"I can see that you are all big fans of my wife, Rayna Jaymes, but what about some other talents in the family? Please welcome my two amazing daughters, Daphne and Maddie!" Every eyes turned towards the two girls, waiting for them to go on stage.

Maddie's eyes widened and she turned towards her little sister.  
"What's going on, Daphne?"  
"I asked Daddy if we could sing too and he said yes. You'll play the guitar and I'll sing."  
"I'm not playing the guitar!"

Maddie could see the innocence of her sister, but the fact that she would ask her to play the guitar in front of everyone, right after Deacon had, was driving her crazy. She still couldn't manage the news of him being her father and she had found it better to totally deny it. So when she had noticed that they shared a passion for the guitar, she had decided to give up the instrument, no matter how foolish it sounded.

"But Maddie... You always play the guitar."  
"Well, not this time! And you could have warned me before asking dad!"

She quickly rose from her chair and run away from the room, not wanting to sit one more minute in the middle of all those persons staring at her.

Teddy couldn't quite understand what had happened from where he was but he could see clearly that there wouldn't be any performance by his daughters tonight and that there would probably be one little Daphne to console. His little girl hated fighting with her older sister, no matter what the reason was, and she always needed to be comforted afterwards.

"Well, it seems that you won't get the opportunity to hear them sing tonight. One more reason to come to a next event of ours if there is one!"

The crowd laughed and the drama was avoided. They all resumed to their meal while Teddy was talking with Daphne, and Rayna was looking for Maddie, already dreading the reason of her sudden departure.

But Rayna wasn't the first one to find her. While Deacon was grabbing his guitar and starting to leave, he noticed Maddie crying in a corner. He had always really liked Rayna's daughter and felt like a part of the family, so he couldn't leave the party when she was apparently going through a rough time.

He slowly came to sit next to her and rubbed soothing circles on her back. The unexpected contact made her open her eyes and look to who was sitting next to her, and when she saw that it was Deacon she quickly pulled away.

Deacon was surprised but he wasn't ready to give up either.  
"What's wrong? What happened to my little girl?"

She jumped to her feet, tears replaced by anger.  
"I'm not your little girl!"

Deacon was surprised. He had known her since she was a little baby and he had always called her 'his little girl', she had always been fine with it. But maybe she was sick of being little, maybe she had finally reached that stage where you want to be considered a little bit more like an adult. He laughed slightly before answering.  
"Well, indeed, you're not that little anymore."

"That's not the point!"  
She let go of an exasperated sigh. She would have liked to yell at him what the point was but she could feel that this wasn't a good idea. She shouldn't be the one telling him the truth. No matter how mad she was, she couldn't do that to her mother.

He rose too and grabbed her hands.  
"Then what is it, Maddie? I hate seeing you like this. I want to help. What's going on?"

He looked really sincere and more than anything, she wanted to tell him the truth. He was as much of a victim as she was in that story. He had been lied to as well and while she hadn't been able to grow up knowing who her real father was, he hadn't been aware that he had a daughter growing up. Her mother had lied to them both and he deserved the truth. And actually he deserved it more than her mother deserved for her secret to be kept.

She looked into his eyes deeply and finally said it without even taking the time to breath first.  
"You are my father."

Deacon's jaw dropped but he didn't get the chance to fully react as Lamar entered the room.  
"Here you are, Maddie! Your mother and I have been looking everywhere for you!"

Maddie gave him one more look before leaving the room with her grandfather but he was still totally dumbfounded, unable to process the information. He couldn't believe what she had just said but somehow it was as if he had always knew, even if he had never really thought about it. It was surprising but at the same time not. And all he could do was stand there, his mind racing through all the things that what Maddie had told him implied.

He had to talk to Rayna.


	3. Fourteen years sober

**Time for a first face-off between Deacon and Rayna, so get ready for some angst. I would also like to thank everyone that took the time to comment the previous chapters, it means a lot to me! I won't keep you from reading any longer...**

It was late at night and Rayna was having trouble sleeping when she heard the familiar buzzing of her cell phone. She considered ignoring it but, at an hour like this one, it had to be important. So she slowly turned on the light and grabbed her phone, trying not to wake up the sleeping figure of her husband besides her. She looked at the caller ID to see that it was Nick, one of her friend and the owner of her favorite bar in town. Not the kind of person who would call at this hour, she thought, but answered it anyway, slowly making her way towards the bathroom.

She closed the door behind her and tried to keep her voice low.  
"Nick, what's going on?"  
_"I'm afraid you won't like it. It seems that someone decided to come back at the bar."_

And then there was a silence. She didn't have to think it over, she knew it was Deacon. She could tell at the tone of Nick's voice. He had always been there for them and knew everything there was to know, so it was natural to hear him being so upset about Deacon wanting to drink again.

"You didn't give him anything, did you?"  
The silence that followed couldn't be good news. Rayna's voice broke a little as worry started to invade her. Deacon had been sober for fourteen years. She couldn't believe that he would ruin that like that. There was no way that he had been drinking. It couldn't be possible.

"Nick?"  
_"I wasn't there, Rayna. I just came in. My bartender didn't know him so he just gave him whatever he was asking for. I called you as soon as I saw him... And apparently he already had a lot. I'm so sorry, Ray. I can't tell you how sorry I am."_

She took a deep breath, still not realizing that this was really happening. She wanted to yell at Nick for letting it happen, but she knew that it wasn't his fault. The only one to blame was Deacon, and even that she wasn't really sure of, because suddenly it hit her. What if, by some mean, he had learned the truth about Maddie? What if it was all because of her keeping that secret from him? If it was, she could never forgive herself. But she would rather not jump to any quick conclusions and brought the phone back to her ear.

"I believe you, Nick. That's not your fault, I know. I'll be right over, don't let him go, and more importantly, no more drinks." And she hung up. She couldn't find the courage to put on some pants, shoes and coat, and to go and pick him up, so she just stayed there, against the cold wall of the bathroom. It was bringing her twenty years back and she didn't like it at all. She had thought that this was all over, that this time of their lives was long behind them. Why did he have to go to that bar?

She finally picked herself up and came out of the bathroom. She grabbed some clothes and, just as she was about to close the door, she heard Teddy's voice coming from the bed. She thought about running away and pretending she hadn't heard it but decided against it, since it would probably make him even more suspicious. She turned towards him. However she didn't let go of the door handle, no matter what he had to say, she had to go and she wouldn't be talked out of it. What was happening with Deacon was far more important than Teddy's jealousy.

"Ray, where are you going?" He still looked sleepy, but she knew that the moment she would mention Deacon, he would be well awake. That's why she preferred avoiding the subject.  
"There is a problem I need to fix, it might take a while, don't worry if I'm not back in a few hours." And she didn't let him time to say anything more. She had no made-up excuses to give him and the truth was far too dangerous. She just flashed him a smile and quickly got out of the room, hoping he would just forget about it and go back to sleep.

Fifteen minutes later, she was at the bar looking for Deacon through the crowd, when she heard him. He had somehow found a guitar and was singing one of their love songs, completely out of tune and looking just as drunk as all these times she had had to pick him up before. He had gotten the attention of a small group who had recognized him and was taking a video, which would probably end up on youtube the following morning.

She didn't know for how long he had been humiliating himself like that but she could only hope that it was only because he had gotten bored of being refused drinks for the past fifteen minutes. She quickly went to the group of people and grabbed the phone with which they were recording, before erasing the video. She was welcomed with shouts, but she didn't care. It was already bad that he had gotten drunk, he wasn't needing any reminder of it on the internet. She ignored their protestations and went towards Deacon, who still hadn't noticed her.

She stood in front of him and he still gave no sign that he was acknowledging her presence. He seemed to be absorbed in his guitar and sorrow, and the whole world around him had faded away. So she did the only thing that would grab his attention, even if she knew that this was one dangerous move. She put her hand on his to make him stop. It could seem innocent to anybody's else but it had never been for the both of them. Contact was leading to desire, and such desire they couldn't have.

But it worked. He slowly raised his eyes towards her and a goofy smile appeared on his face.  
"Hey Rayna, what are you doing here?"  
His voice was way too loud and people were beginning to turn their head in their direction. What had she gotten herself into? She tried to take her hand away but he was faster and grabbed her wrist. She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let go. His smile had faded away and she was getting more and more nervous. She had a bad feeling about all of this. He pulled on her wrist to bring her closer and, even drunk, he was too strong for her to resist long.

Their faces were merely inches apart and her heart rate was starting to fasten. He brought his lips closer to her ear and she could feel his hot and drunk breath on her, but her heart dropped when he finally talked.  
"Wanna have sex so that you can have another child of mine and not tell me?"

It wasn't flirt or drunkenness anymore, it was pure anger that transpired through his words and it was as if he had plunged a knife in her heart. She took one step back and this time he let go of her hand. Apparently he wasn't playing anymore.

"She told you." It wasn't even a question. It was just the realization finally dawning upon her. She had been dreading that ever since she got that call, and it was finally confirmed. She had thought many times about the eventuality of him finding out and it had never been this way. If she had imagined it though, it would probably have been in the worst case scenarios category. Her eyes were starting to sting, but she couldn't cry. Not when he was the one who was allowed to be emotional. She was the bad guy in that story and she would have to endorse the role.

"Yeah, she told me. Were you planning on telling me one day?"  
"We should talk about this elsewhere." His voice was still way too loud and this was definitely not something she wanted to see in the papers tomorrow.  
"Oh come on Rayna! Aren't you tired of secrets?"

Nick had been watching them ever since Rayna had arrived, and he was well aware that things were beginning to worsen. He was actually agreeing on the fact that they should do this in private, so he grabbed Deacon by the arm and dragged him towards a private room in the back of the building. He was way taller and way more sober than Deacon, so it wasn't hard at all, even though Deacon was trying to resist. He cared a lot for these two and it was awful for him to see them acting this way towards each other. After closing the door, he looked at the both of them and waited for someone to speak, but he was only met by silence.

"Deacon, what's going on with you? I heard you were fourteen years sober and there you are, getting drunk in a bar. You're arguing with the woman who has always been there for you and who is still there today. What is wrong with you, man?"

Rayna cringed at Nick's words. They couldn't have been more badly picked in these circumstances, and the angry reaction of Deacon was to be expected. But still she couldn't help but jump at how mad he sounded.

"Oh, don't you dare talk to me like that when you don't know what's going on! You want to know how she has always been there for me? She had my baby and never told me about it, that's how she was there for me. For fourteen years all she did was lie. I have a daughter and I haven't even been able to be a dad to her because of her! That's how she was there for me." His voice completely broke at the end and he burst into tears.

Rayna couldn't move after all he had said, so Nick was the one to go over to him and take him in his arms. He met some resistance at first but it quickly went away as the sobs grew louder. This time Rayna couldn't help her tears. This situation was pathetic and it was all her fault. She had no idea of what to do and it was killing her. She was hurting everyone and all of that because of a choice she had made a decade and a half ago. She wished that it was all a nightmare but the hurt in her heart was reminding her that this was really happening and the tears seemed to never come to an end.

**So, what did you think? You are not hating me too much?**


	4. A fool for giving up

**Sorry for the delay but I'm really busy with school and I just started to watch Friday Night Lights and I'm hooked. But I finally decided that it wasn't fair to make you wait too long, especially after all the supportive comments, and wrote that chapter. I hope that you will like it, even though I should probably have spent more time on it. But you wanted some happier interaction between Deacon and Rayna, and that's what I'm giving you! (and by the way did you notice how I had totally predicted that scene in last week episode where Rayna receives a phone call in the middle of the night because Deacon is in trouble? that's too bad she didn't pick it up though)**

When Deacon opened his eyes the next morning, it took him some time to realize where he was and why. His headache was a good hint but also a terrible one. He couldn't believe that he had really been drinking. How could he have ruined all the work he had done on his sobriety in one night? No matter how much the news of Maddie being his daughter had shaken him up, he should never have been drinking. It wasn't the solution, it never had been. To go further with that thought he could even say that it was what had put him in this situation, because if he hadn't been an alcoholic, Rayna would never have hidden it from him and they could have lived happily ever after. But he wasn't going to follow that train of thought though, because he really didn't want to find any excuses for her right now.

For now he had been happy with being angry at her. It allowed him to push back all of the other feelings he was experiencing in a far off corner of his mind, and to only focus on his anger. But when he saw her sleeping in that chair, next to the bed he was on, he couldn't help but feel that this wasn't fair on her. She shouldn't have hidden his daughter from him, but still she had been there and she still was. She had been looking up for him all night long, even though he had probably been awful to her (he couldn't remember exactly what he had said, but was ready to bet that it hadn't been really nice) and that she would probably get in trouble with Teddy later for it.

But what dulled his anger the most wasn't the fact that he was touched by her being there. It was more profound than that. He just couldn't stay mad at her. When he was looking at her like that, sleeping innocently, her long magnificent hair covering her face, he couldn't help but love her. He had always loved her and it seemed as if it was never going to go away. He had tried to get rid of this feeling, because that was what she wanted, and what he wanted the most was to grant all of her wishes. But it didn't matter how much he wanted it. She was the love of her life and it could never be any different.

Furthermore, when thinking about it, this whole deal with Maddie wasn't something to get mad about. It meant that he had a daughter. Sure, he had not been in her life the way he would have wanted to be for all these years, but she was still young and there was still so much he could teach her. So much moments he could spend with her, and so much love he could give. He would never have thought of himself as ready to be a dad, but it was clear to him now that this was all he had ever wanted. He had so much love to give and nobody to give it to. He had to take that chance to change his life around. It wasn't going to be easy, but with a clear goal you can go anywhere. Clear eyes, full hearts can't lose, right?

But first he had to go to an AA meeting. He would never find a way to get to his daughter and to the love of his life by plunging back into the dangerous world of addiction. He sighed, this was really one world he thought he had left a long time ago. He had been weak last night and he was hating himself for it. He slowly came out of the bed his friend Nick had let him use last night and the headache just got worse. Drinking was definitely something he wasn't missing in his life. This hangover was bringing back so much memories of how self-destructive he used to be, and it made him respect Rayna even more for sticking at his side through it all.

She opened her eyes when she heard him standing up. She gently smiled, willing to overlook what had happened last night and trying to start this new day on a better note. She grabbed his hand as he passed her chair, totally unaware that she wasn't sleeping. "Where are you going?"

He turned towards her and smiled at her sleepy head, which kind of surprised her after the way he had been treating her last night. "AA." She nodded but he didn't move. He was thinking about the fact that he might not get the chance to speak to her in a private environment like this one before quite some time, and that he should probably make the most of it. "We should probably talk."

"Yeah." But she didn't add anything. Actually she didn't really know what to add. She didn't want to upset him like last night and her mind wasn't really working at its higher level in the morning. So she just stared at him, a small smile still plastered to her face.

He sighed and sat on the bed, facing her. He actually wasn't really certain of what to say himself. What would someone say in such a situation? They both nervously laughed at their awkwardness and it made him a little bit more relaxed about it all. After all, it was Rayna in front of him. They could usually talk about everything. Well, almost everything. Their romantic relationship was a topic they were usually trying to avoid. But still, they were friends and they would try to work everything out. What he would say wouldn't change that fact, so it didn't have to be that awkward.

"I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have been drinking, it was a mistake."  
She nodded and the smile disappeared as her eyes darkened. "I'm sorry too. This was all my fault."  
"No. Me drinking is never your fault. It's always my fault. No matter what happens I should never drink and that's completely on me, so I'm sorry for last night. As for Maddie, I just don't know what to say."

They were met with silence again. It was one slippery slope and neither one of them wanted to start a fight. But it wasn't changing the fact that they needed to talk about it. This was a big deal and they couldn't pretend that nothing had happened, especially not when Maddie was all confused about it.

Deacon locked eyes with Rayna and decided to ask the question he had been asking himself ever since he had found out about all of this. "Why did you never tell me that you were having my daughter? And please, be honest."

Her first instinct would have been to blame it on his addiction. He couldn't be trusted to raise a daughter then and she had Teddy who was going to make a wonderful father. But he had asked her to be honest and that's what she wanted to be. "Honestly? I was with Teddy back then and I thought that if you knew about Maddie you would never give up on me. And I wanted you to give up on me because if you had continued on fighting I would eventually have gone back to you, and it was scaring me. I knew that when you would see that I was having a beautiful daughter with my perfect husband, you would let me go and have that life I had always wanted. If you had known that it was your daughter, it would have been different."

"You're right. It's completely different. I have always thought that Teddy was better for you because he was a steady man and he was the father of your children. But the truth is, he is not that much better than me. He lost all of your money and is entering that dirty business of politics with your father. And I'm just as much of a father to your children as he is. I was a fool for giving up the fight back then and I would be even more of a fool for giving it up now."

Rayna was surprised by the resolution in his speech, and she was afraid to see where this was going. "What do you mean, Deacon?"

"I'm going to fight for you. And for Maddie. And even for Daphne, I love that kid too. You're the best thing in my life and I'm done with letting you go."

"Well, you see, I'm not sure that I agree with that."  
He laughed at her perfect accent and, before she could understand what was happening, he went to kiss her. He had been dreaming of her lips for so long now, and he had to control himself not to look to hungry. She didn't really respond at first, she was even ready to push him off. However, she didn't know if it was the lack of sleep or his intoxicating smell, but she finally caved in and intertwined her fingers in his hair, pressing their lips together even more, wanting for that kiss to never stop.

Eventually he drew back, having made his point, and went in direction of the door. He looked at her one more time and smirked. "And _I_ am totally sure that you agree with that."  
And then he was gone.

**So? What did you think?**


	5. Trust issues

**So sorry for the delay, I'll try to do better next time. I hope you'll be satisfied with this chapter and don't forget to tell me what you think! Reviews make my day.**

Rayna couldn't believe she had let that kiss happen. It was going against everything she had been trying to do. She had always been trying to keep Deacon away from her heart. To make him forget about any romantic possibilities between them. And the minute he had started to evoke such possibilities, her mind had been turned upside down and she hadn't been able to see clearly enough to stop him from coming anywhere near her lips.

And now that she was seeing clearly, she could only blame herself. Deacon had that ability to make her resolution melt away by just a look, or just some words, and it was something that was scaring her. She liked to be in control and when she was near him, she rarely was. She had made one mistake that morning, and she hoped it wouldn't have too many consequences. It was just one kiss, right?

But what a kiss. All the ones she had shared with Teddy were nothing compared to that one. None of them had that much passion and tenderness at the same time in them. None of them were able to make her feel like nothing else existed in the world except for their two bodies. None of them. But, to be fair, she hadn't chosen Teddy for the kisses. She had chosen him to be her husband because he was reliable. He was a good man and he was in love with her. He would take her on romantic trips and never forget one single date. He would always put her first and at the time it meant a lot. He was the exact opposite of Deacon, who was always late and too drunk to care about her needs. Of course, Deacon had his good times too, but she was never able to predict when that would be. And when that incertitude had become too much, she had chosen Teddy.

And now she had to honor that choice. She was married to Teddy and she couldn't wonder about what her life would have been like if she had chosen to wait for Deacon to get out of rehab, clean and sober, and to raise Maddie with him. It wasn't fair on her or on Teddy. She had to keep all her feelings for Deacon in the past, and focus on making her family work. This was her life now, and there was no going back.

She rearranged her hair before opening the door of her house. She was hoping for Teddy not to be up yet, but she had the feeling she would run into him in the kitchen. He was always there to make her feel guilty about her whole relationship with Deacon. When she was coming home late after a work session with him, Teddy was there, waiting for her. When she had a phone conversation with him, Teddy was there, looking for the phone. When she had inappropriate dreams about him, Teddy was there, trying to wake her up. And except for that last one, she was never doing anything wrong and Teddy not trusting her was just pissing her off.

So she wasn't surprised when she saw him looking at his computer on the kitchen counter. She plastered a big smile on her face and dropped her bag on the floor. "Hi, honey." She gave him a small kiss before reaching the fridge and grabbing a bottle of orange juice. He had his eyes fixated on his computer screen and didn't react to her greeting. She took a seat on the other side of the counter and started pouring herself a glass. She was wondering if she should try to understand what was going on. He had that wrinkle on his forehead which meant that something was bothering him, and she found herself not wanting to know what. But as his dutiful wife, she did have to say something so she put down her glass. "What's going on?"

He finally bothered raising his eyes and she could see that they were filled with anger. "Did you sleep with Deacon last night?"

"No!" It seemed to be his only question lately and she was beginning to get a little bit offended by his accusations. Trust was supposed to be the base of a marriage, but apparently that notion hadn't reached Teddy yet.

"Then how can you explain these pictures of you and Deacon coming out of the same building half an hour ago?" And to illustrate his point he turned his computer towards her and she saw pictures of Deacon leaving Nick's building, followed by her leaving the building. She couldn't help but be surprised at how quick those pictures had ended up on the internet, and by how fast Teddy had found them. Did he have some Google alert or something on everything that involved her and Deacon? To be honest, she wouldn't even be surprised if he had and it was kind of depressing.

"Nothing happened, Teddy. You need to trust me on that. I'm not the kind of person who cheats on her husband and I never will. Last night I was helping a friend, that's it. I'm getting really tired of you not trusting me. How many times do I have to tell you that you're my husband and that's what matters to me?"

"As long as that kind of pictures keeps showing up on the internet."  
"That kind of pictures doesn't show anything at all."  
"Well, let's just say that we have divergent opinions on that one."

Rayna just sighed angrily. Maybe he was right, maybe she was too close to Deacon. They did kiss after all and it would seem wrong to argue for hours that nothing happened. Something definitely happened. Not what Teddy had in mind, but still. Enough to feel guilty. She went to wash her glass in the sink before picking up her bag.

"I'm gonna change, and then I'll take the girls to school."  
"It will only be Maddie today. Daphne is feeling a little sick."  
"Really? Is she alright?"  
"Yeah, she is sleeping. It's just a little fever, it will go away quickly. She was asking for you though."

Rayna could hear the accusation behind his words. She wasn't there when her daughter needed her, and it was all because she was with Deacon. Of course she hated the fact that she hadn't been there to take care of Daphne, but Deacon needed her more than her daughter did that night. She wondered if she was a bad mother for thinking that way, but she had no time to think it over. Maddie was already out in the kitchen eating breakfast and she wasn't even dressed.

When she finally came back into the kitchen, she was only faced by her unhappy daughter who was complaining about being late to school. Rayna rolled her eyes, this was going to be one hell of a car ride. She grabbed the car keys that she had left on the counter and they both went to the car in silence.

It wasn't any less awkward once they were in the car. There was still that big tension and neither one of them had the courage to talk. Why did Daphne had to pick that day to be sick? But maybe it was all for the better. Rayna really needed to have a conversation with her daughter and it was one perfect occasion. They were both stuck in a car with nowhere else to go.

"So. You told Deacon?"  
Maddie looked at her mother for a moment before answering. She was internally debating if she wanted to have that talk now or later. Eventually she came to the conclusion that she needed to have that conversation. "Yes."

Rayna was weighing her every word, afraid of making a mistake. Lately she had just been handling everything wrong and she didn't want to make her relationship with her daughter any worse. "Does this mean that you want to spend more time with him? To get to know him better... as a father?"

"No!" It was an instinctive answer but when thinking more about is, Maddie wasn't really sure it was the right one. Why did she really tell Deacon? "I don't know." She lowered her eyes, ashamed of her confession. She loved her father. Teddy had always been in her life and she would never want to hurt him. But still, biologically she had another father and she was curious. Of course she had always known him but never in that way.

"I'm sorry."  
Maddie raised her eyes towards her mother, surprised.  
"For putting you in that position. It's all my fault. If you want to hate me for a while, go ahead. But don't hate him, he had nothing to do with it. I think he wants to hang out with you and maybe you should let him do that. That's your choice. Y'all decide what you want to do, okay?"  
"Okay."

They finally reached the school and the tension slowly disappeared. They had both been fearing this conversation but it actually went pretty well. Maddie opened her door and flashed a smile to her mother. "Goodbye, mom."

"Goodbye honey!" Rayna watched as her daughter ran to class, the bell already ringing. Maybe they would get through this without too much scars. But there was still a problem. How would she explain Maddie possibly spending more time with Deacon to Teddy? She sighed before starting back the engine, she still had a long way to go.


	6. Skating isn't so hard

**I'm terribly sorry for abandoning you, I hope you haven't completely forgotten of this story. I was a little bit stuck and I still don't know if I should get along with the show and Teddy's knowing of Maddie being his daughter or not. I'd like to hear what you think! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little chapter. I understood that you wanted to see Deacon spending some time with Maddie and I thought I would give you just that!**

Rayna looked at Deacon's car through the curtains. It had already been a week and Maddie had finally agreed to spend an afternoon with him. Rayna wasn't sure of what to think about it, but she preferred letting the decision to Maddie and Deacon. After all, she had been interfering in their relationship for far too long now, and it was their turn to decide what to do. She couldn't really go against any of it, no matter what they decided.

She watched him get out of his car and walk towards her door. She couldn't help the sigh escaping her lips. Since that morning when she had let him kiss her, things had become awkward. Or at least on her part, because for him it was like everything was normal. He was confident that nothing wrong had occurred and nothing could bring him down from the little cloud he was on. At least he hadn't talked again about his plans to win her over. Hopefully he had completely forgotten that stupid idea of his.

She came out of her reverie when he knocked on the door. She called for Maddie and went to open the door, welcoming her friend with a wide grin. If there is one thing she learned from doing business with stubborn men she couldn't stand and dealing with a family as dysfunctional as hers, it was the ability to plaster convincing smiles on her face in any circumstances. What she hadn't learned though, or maybe she had learned but forgot, was that Deacon could see right through her fake smiles.

He didn't comment on it though. Today he was going to work on his relationship with Maddie. He had plenty of times to work things out with Rayna. For now he could handle her fake smiles and embarrassed expression. It meant that his words had affected her, that she had been thinking about it. If she wasn't comfortable around him, it was because she was afraid of what she could do. He just had to give her the right push and soon she wouldn't feel so uncomfortable about doing it anymore.

But he brushed those thoughts away as Maddie walked down the stairs. He smiled at his daughter and she smiled back at him. He still couldn't believe that she was her daughter, that he even had a daughter. Sometimes he would forget and it would come back to him, and he would just grin uncontrollably. People would think he was crazy but he didn't even care. He had a daughter. It was still a secret but he was hopeful that someday it wouldn't be anymore. That someday he could introduce her to people has his daughter and have that proud smile that people have when they talk of their children.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Rayna watched their awkward exchange with an amused smile. She probably would have laughed too, but somehow she wasn't sure she had the right to. She was the one who had created that absurd situation in the first place and she had no rights to laugh. The only thing she could do was trying to fix it. That's why she bit on the inside of her cheeks and repressed herself from laughing. "Well, you two go have fun. I expect you back in three hours."

They both made their way to Deacon's car and waved before taking their seat in the car. Rayna looked at them until she couldn't see the car anymore and went back to reading her e-mails. She had a lot of work and she couldn't afford to let her mind wander to what Maddie and Deacon might do, or worse, to what Deacon might be up to with herself.

Meanwhile in the car Deacon and Maddie looked at each other one more time, exchanging an embarrassed smile. Deacon cleared his throat before talking. "So, what do you want to do?"

Maddie thought about shrugging but it wouldn't get them anywhere. If she wanted this to work they both needed to make an effort. "Well... I've been wanting to go to the ice rink for a while now."

"Really? You like skating?"

"I love it! That feeling you get when you slide on the ice and nothing can stop you, that's amazing!"

Deacon took his eyes off the road for a few seconds, looking at the excitement in his daughter's eyes. He suddenly decided that it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen and captured the image in his mind. There was so much he had been missing on, he hadn't fully realized yet. But it didn't make him bitter, just eager to find out all the little perks of parenthood.

"What about you, do you like skating?"

"Well, I would like it a lot more if I didn't always end up falling flat on my ass with a lot of bruises to remind me of it the next week." She started laughing at his desperate expression and he quickly joined in, finding her laugh to be contagious.

"I'm sure you're not that bad."

"You'd be surprised."

"We don't have to go if you don't like it."

"But you love it, and that's good enough of a reason for me."

"Still, we can do something else."

"Nonsense. And if I don't try again, I'll never get better."

She gave him a small smile and noticed that they had arrived to the ice rink. They got out of the car, and started walking towards the skate-renting hut. Deacon noticed that Maddie was shivering and draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. He didn't really think it over. It was just a gesture which had always seemed normal with Rayna's daughters. But now that he was aware of the fact that Maddie was his daughter too, it meant so much more, especially when she didn't pull away and just snuggled close to him. This day really couldn't be any better.

At least that's what he thought up until the point when he had skates on his feet and was standing on the side of the rink. Maddie was already on it and was making signs at him to join her, and he started to wonder why he had agreed to come here. It sounded like a really good idea in the car but now that he was here, facing his old enemy, the ice, it didn't sound that exciting anymore. But one look at the happiness in the eyes of his daughter and he knew that it had been the right choice. Without looking away he found the courage to step on the ice and tried to slide in her direction.

Unfortunately for him, motivation wasn't the only factor intervening in the mastering of skating and before he could understand what was happening, he totally lost control of his feet and ended up going way too fast towards the fence, falling backwards under the shock of smashing into it. He heard Maddie's laugh and in a matter of seconds she was at his sides, offering him her hand to get up. He could have been mad, but seeing how much fun she seemed to be having, he joined the laughter and grabbed the hand she was holding out for him.

When he got back to a standing position he gripped the fence hard and looked at his daughter. "Well, it doesn't look like I'm getting better."

"Maybe I overestimated your skills, but you'll see that you can get better. Take my hand."

He did what she told him and they started sliding slowly together. It was true that it was easier this way, he was even starting to appreciate the feeling, it was almost like flying. When she picked up speed though, he started to stiffen, gripping her hand harder.

"I'm not sure this is a really good idea."

"Do you trust me?"

He looked into her eyes and it made him melt. He couldn't do anything but nod after that. They started to gain speed, never letting go of each other's hands. Eventually they stopped next to the fence, both exhausted. Deacon had a smile going up to his ears. "Wow."

Maddie laughed at her father's expression. She hadn't expected to have such a good day. She was afraid of the tension between them but apparently she shouldn't have been. After all, they had known each other for a long time and the news of them being related didn't change things that much. "It wasn't that bad, wasn't it?"

"No, I guess not. I think I even liked it."

"Enough to try on your own?"

"Maybe not this time. I'm exhausted!" He glanced at his watch and frowned. "I should probably bring you home anyway."

"Yes, probably. We'll do it another time then."

"Definitely."

They both smiled at each other while returning the skates. She could tell that he wasn't really looking forward to trying on his own but it didn't really matter, there was a lot of other things they could do together and she was looking forward to it. Maybe Deacon being her father wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
